France 1663-& 1/12 ecu

Goldberg sale 128, lot 1751

This specimen was lot 1751 in Goldberg sale 128 (Los Angeles, June 2022), where it sold for $132. The catalog description^[1] noted, "France. 1/12 Ecu, 1663-& (Aix). Louis XIV. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned shield of France. Lustrous. PCGS graded AU-58." This type was struck at Aix 1661-72 in considerable numbers (1664-& is the most common date) and superseded the very similar Dr/4 № 731& of 1658-62, which is even more common. When this denomination was introduced in 1641, it was intended for domestic circulation, not as a trade coin. By some fluke of fashion, this coin became very popular in the Levantine trade and large numbers were minted and exported. It was imitated in Orange, Monaco, Dombes and Italy (where it was called the "luigino") until the market was saturated and the price dropped back to its face value of five sols. This date is scarce but not rare.

Recorded mintage: 582,928^[2].

Specification: 2.28 g, 0.917 fine silver, plain edge, 19-20 mm diameter, designed by Joseph Roëttiers.

Catalog reference: Dr/4 № 733&, Dr/2 № 329, Gad-115; KM-199.14.

Source:

^[2]Droulers, Frédéric, Répertoire General des Monnaies de Louis XIII à Louis XVI (1610-1792), 4e édition. Paris: AFPN, 2009.
Duplessy, Jean, Les Monnaies Françaises Royales de Hugues Capet à Louis XVI (987-1793), Tome II, 2e édition, Paris: Maison Platt, 1999.
Gadoury, Victor, Monnaies Royales Françaises, 1610-1792, 5me éd., Monaco: Éditions Victor Gadoury, 2018.
Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
^[1]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, Stephen Harvey and Vera Liu, Goldberg Sale 128: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2022.

Links to:

France 1663-& 1/12 ecu

Navigation menu

Search